Forming of optoelectronic devices, particularly of inverted-type OPV cells

ABSTRACT

An optoelectronic device having a layer comprising: poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene); polystyrene sulfonate; and a compound (A) having formula: 
                         
wherein 0&lt;x/y&lt;1, Ar1 and Ar2 represent aromatic rings, which may be identical or different, and at least one Ar1 and Ar2 comprises at least one hydrophobic substituent on its ring.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/107,296,filed Dec. 16, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,559,304, the entirety of whichis incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention falls within the framework of the search fortechnical solutions easing the forming of optoelectronic devices,particularly of “inverted”-type organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells.

More specifically, the invention provides adding anelectrically-conductive or semiconductor additive to a formulation ordispersion containing PEDOT (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and PSS(polystyrene sulfonate) used, in particular, to form the HTL (“HoleTransport Layer”) of OPV cells. The presence of such an additive isintended to modify the wetting ability of the formulation towards thesurface of a hydrophobic layer. The formulation can then easily bedeposited in the form of a layer directly on a hydrophobic layer, suchas an active layer made of hydrophobic semiconductor material present ininverted OPV cells. Such a deposition can then be performed byconventional techniques such as inkjet printing.

This solution can find applications for OPV cells as well as for anyother optoelectronic device such as photodetectors (OPDs, “Organic PhotoDetectors”), OLEDs (“Organic Light Emitting Diodes”), or PLEDs (“PolymerLight Emitting Diodes”).

2. Description of Related Art

Organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells are devices capable of converting solarenergy into electric energy by using organic semiconductor materials, tocreate a photovoltaic effect. Active materials, as well as thearchitectures of such devices, are still evolving to meet performanceand lifetime criteria enabling to widen the field of application of suchtechnologies. The methods for manufacturing such devices also remain aconstant concern.

In a conventional OPV cell structure, a substrate 1 is covered with thefollowing successive layers:

an electrically-conductive layer 2 containing a conductive oxide used asa first electrode;

a semiconductor hole transport layer 3, also called HTL or also P layer;

an active layer 4 made of organic semiconductor material;

a semiconductor electron transport layer 5, also called ETL or also Nlayer; and

a conductive layer 6 used as a second electrode.

In an inverted structure, also called NIP structure, such asschematically shown in FIG. 1, the stack has the following sequence:

substrate 1;

a conductive layer 6 containing a conductive oxide used as a firstelectrode;

an n (or N) semiconductor layer 5;

an active layer 4;

a p (or P) semiconductor layer 3;

a conductive layer 2 used as a second electrode or upper electrode.

One of the main advantages of the OPV technology is the possibility toentirely form the devices by a wet process, via a varied range ofprinting and/or coating methods: inkjet, silk screening, slot-die,photogravure, spray coating, spin coating, flexography, or doctor bladecoating . . . .

To date, the so-called “inverted” structure of OPV cells appears as themost promising since it enables to achieve the longest lifetimes. Insuch a configuration, the P layer, which is the hole transport layer orHTL, is thus arranged at the surface of the active layer.

Currently, the hole transport layer is generally obtained from aformulation or dispersion containing PEDOT:PSS. It comprises:

Poly(3,4-EthyleneDiOxyThiophene) or PEDOT having the following chemicalstructure:

n being a positive integer.

PolyStyrene Sulfonate or PSS in proton form (right-hand side) or not(left-hand side), having the following chemical structure:

x and y being positive integers.

PSS being a water-soluble polymer, most PEDOT:PSS formulations containwater.

Now, in OPV cells, the active layer onto which the formulationcontaining PEDOT:PSS is intended to be deposited is strongly hydrophobicand thus has a poor wettability by aqueous solutions.

Accordingly, the wetting ability or the ability of the PEDOT:PSSsuspension to spread on the active layer is generally poor. It is thusdifficult to perform continuous and uniform depositions without carryingout surface treatments.

An alternative to such treatments is to adapt the formulation intendedto form the hole transport layer in order to improve its ability to wetthe hydrophobic active layer.

Thus, and as an example, different solutions have been envisaged tosolve this problem of compatibility between the active layer and the Player containing PEDOT:PSS:

Document Voigt et al. (Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 95, 2011,731-734) describes the adding of a solvent (isopropanol) and/or of anon-ionic and non-conductive fluorosurfactant (Zonyl® FS300) to aPEDOT:PSS formulation to arrange it on the active layer by photogravure.However, the OPV cells thus obtained have a relatively low performanceand a plasma treatment of the surface remains necessary.

Document Weickert et al. (Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 95,2010, 2371-2374) discloses the dilution of the formulation in a largequantity of alcohol (2-propanol) and the performing of a deposition byspray-coating on the active layer. However, the dry matter content beingvery low after dilution, the layer has a small final thickness. Inrelation with the specific spray-coating technique, it is possible tocompensate for this small thickness by repeating the operations, butthis is not feasible for most deposition techniques. Further, such atechnique appears to be incompatible with the subsequent printing of anelectrode, the article reporting the evaporation of the electrode.

Another option has been provided in document Lloyd et al. (Solar EnergyMaterials and Solar Cells, 95, 2011, 1382-1388). It comprises carryingout a plasma treatment on the active layer to make it more hydrophilic.However, such a treatment creates defects and degrades the layer.

There thus appears to be an obvious need to identify new technicalsolutions improving the forming of a hole transport layer containingPEDOT:PSS on the hydrophobic active layer of an optoelectronic device,and more generally of a layer containing PEDOT:PSS on a hydrophobicsupport.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, and within the framework of the present invention, new compoundsof surface-active type have been identified, to be integrated informulations or dispersions containing PEDOT:PSS, especially used toform the hole transport layer of OPV cells, which simultaneously enable:

to increase their wetting ability towards a hydrophobic layer,particularly at the surface of the active layer of OPV cells;

not to lower the electric conductivity of the layer thus formed;

to make this layer compatible with the printing of an electrode at itssurface, in the context of OPV cells.

According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to acomposition comprising:

poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) or PEDOT;

polystyrene sulfonate or PSS;

a compound (A) having formula:

with 0<x/y<1;

-   -   Ar1 and Ar2 representing aromatic rings, which may be identical        or different;    -   Ar1 and/or Ar2 comprising at least one hydrophobic substituent        on its ring.

It should be noted that polystyrene sulfonate or PSS may be in protonform (SO₃H) or not (SO₃ ⁻), or in the 2 forms.

The compound (A) is thus intended to behave as a surface-active agent insuch a composition. It is further advantageously electrically conductiveor electrically semiconductor.

Due to its structure, it is a conjugate copolymer having a patternsubstituted with a sulfonic group. Further, at least one pattern of thecopolymer is substituted with hydrophobic lateral chains.

Suitably and advantageously, aromatic ring Ar2 supports no conductiveionic group, and in particular no sulfonic group.

Compound (A) advantageously has an aromatic ring (Ar1 and/or Ar2)selected from the group comprising: thiophene; bithiophene;terthiophene; thienothiophene; pyrrole; carbazole; diketopyrrolopyrrole(DPP); selenophene; cyclopentadithiophene (CPDT); dithienocyclopentadithiophene; Si-cyclopentadithiophene (Si-CPDT); dithienoSi-cyclopentadithiophene; fluorene; dithienofluorene; benzene;benzothiazole; benzothiadiazole; dithienobenzothiadiazole; quinoxaline;thiazole; phosphole, advantageously thiophene.

According to a preferred embodiment, the two aromatic rings (Ar1 andAr2) are identical, and advantageously are thiophenes.

Further, and preferably, the hydrophobic substituent is an ether chain(—O—R) supported by one of the carbon atoms of the aromatic ring. R maybe a linear or branched chain, comprising carbon atoms (advantageouslyfrom 1 to 15) and possible heteroatoms, such as O or N (advantageouslyfrom 1 to 10). Advantageously, R comprises at least one ether bond(R′—O—R″). More advantageously still, the substituent has the followingformula:

Advantageously, such a hydrophobic substituent is at least supported byaromatic ring Ar2. According to a specific embodiment, both Ar1 and Ar2comprise at least one hydrophobic substituent, Ar1 and Ar2 being likelyto support an identical hydrophobic substituent.

According to a specific embodiment, the compound (A) has the followingformula:

The compound (A) corresponds topoly(3-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)]thiophene-2,5-diyl-co-3-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)]-4-sulfonic-thiophene-2,5-diyl).It is a copolymer having both a hydrophilic character due to thesulfonic groups (SO₃H) and a hydrophobic character due to the etherchains. Such groups are placed on thiophene groups, the chaining ofwhich enables to provide a good conductivity.

It should be noted that the compound is a so-called “p-type” conjugatecopolymer, conventionally used as the only component of the HTL of theOPV cells. It has a good ability to wet the active layer of OPV cellsbut, due to its high solubility, it is not compatible with inkscontaining silver, used to form the upper electrode of the OPV cells.Thus, devices integrating this material as an HTL and a printed silverelectrode are systematically short-circuited.

A composition according to the invention may correspond to an ink. Thus,and more generally, it may, in addition to the dispersion containingPEDOT:PSS and to compound A, comprise at least one solvent,advantageously selected from the group comprising: water; propan-2-ol;2-Butoxyethanol (or ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, EGMBE); ethanol;butan-1-ol; butan-2-ol; ethylene glycol; propylene glycol; diethyleneglycol; dowanol DPM; ethylene glycol methyl ether.

According to a specific embodiment, the composition according to theinvention comprises a mixture of propan-2-ol and of 2-butoxyethanol, andpossibly of water. More specifically, it may contain:

water, advantageously in a proportion by volume smaller than 5%, moreadvantageously still smaller than 2%, and optimally equal to 0%;

propan-2-ol, advantageously in a proportion by volume greater than 30%,more advantageously still between 40 and 60%, and optimally between 50and 55%;

2-butoxyethanol, advantageously in a proportion by volume between 10%and 50%, and more advantageously still between 15 and 35%.

Further, and in practice, the dispersion containing PEDOT:PSS, intendedto be mixed with compound A and possibly with one or a plurality of theabove-mentioned solvents, may further comprise one or a plurality ofadditives selected from the group comprising:

a solvent of high boiling point, such as N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone;

a solvent such as isopropanol;

a crosslinking agent such as gamma-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane(Silquest A187™ commercialized by Momentive Performance Materials Inc);

a surfactant agent such as an additive containing acetylenic diol, forexample, Dynl™604 commercialized by Air Product.

Advantageously, the compound (A) amounts to from 0.01 to 0.2% by weightof the composition according to the invention, more advantageously stillfrom 0.05 to 0.2% by weight, and particularly amounts to 0.1% by weightor more.

According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a methodfor preparing a composition according to the invention comprising mixingthe compound (A) in a dispersion containing PEDOT:PSS, possibly in thepresence of one or a plurality of solvents as defined hereafter and bythe mentioned advantageous proportions.

In the context of the invention, such a composition is particularlyintended to provide a layer, after deposition on a substrate. Forexample, and as already mentioned, the composition according to theinvention may be an ink intended to be deposited on a substrate,advantageously on the active layer of an optoelectronic device, inparticular by means of the inkjet printing technique. After depositionand drying causing the evaporation of the solvent(s) of the composition,the obtained layer, advantageously the hole transport layer of anoptoelectronic device, is made of the polymers present in thecomposition according to the invention, in particular PEDOT, PSS, andthe compound (A).

Thus, and according to another aspect, the present invention relates toan optoelectronic device having a layer comprising:

poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) or PEDOT;

polystyrene sulfonate or PSS;

a compound (A) such as defined hereabove.

As already mentioned, such an optoelectronic device may be an organicphotovoltaic (OPV) cell, advantageously in inverted configuration, butalso an OPD (“Organic Photo Detector”), an OLED (“Organic Light EmittingDiode”), or a PLED (“Polymer Light Emitting Diode”).

Advantageously, the compound (A) amounts to from 1% to 30% by dry weightof said layer, advantageously from 25 to 30%.

Such a layer is advantageously arranged at the surface of the activelayer of the optoelectronic device. Thus, such a layer is particularlyadvantageous as a hole transport layer, deposited on the active layer ofan optoelectronic device such as a photovoltaic device, advantageouslyof an organic photovoltaic cell in inverted configuration (NIP).

Conventionally, an active layer of an optoelectronic device,advantageously photovoltaic, combines an electron donor and an electronacceptor. Thus, and according to a specific embodiment, the active layeris made of:

P3HT (poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) or poly(3-hexylthiophene)) as anelectron donor, having formula:

n being a positive integer;

PCBM or PC₆₀BM (methyl [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁ butyrate) as an electronacceptor, having formula:

As a variation, the electron donor polymer may be selected from thegroup comprising:

poly[[9-(1-octylnonyl)-9H-carbazole-2,7-diyl]-2,5-thiophenediyl-2,1,3-benzo-thiadiazole-4,7-diyl-2,5-thiophenediyl]or PCDTBT:

poly[2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-4,7-diyl[4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl]]or PCPDTBT:

PBDTTPD:

PTB7:

Similarly, the electron acceptor may be another fullerene selected fromthe group comprising:

PC₇₀BM ([6,6]-Phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester):

IC₆₀BA (1′,1″,4′,4″-tetrahydro-di[1,4]methanonaphthaleno[5,6]fullerene-C₆₀):

bis-PC₆₀BM Bis(1-[3-(methoxycarbonyl)propyl]-1-phenyl)-[6.6]C₆₂):

An HTL according to the invention has the advantageous feature of beingcompatible with the printing, at its surface, of an electrode. Thus, andaccording to another aspect, the optoelectronic device, advantageouslyphotovoltaic, according to the invention comprises a printed electrodeat the surface of the HTL. Conventionally, it is made of silver (Ag). Itmay also be made of copper, aluminum, graphite, or even of a mixture ofthese materials.

More specifically in relation with a photovoltaic cell in invertedconfiguration, it further comprises:

a substrate, advantageously a plastic substrate, for example, made ofPET (polyethylene terephtalate), of PEN (polyethylene naphtalate) or ofpolycarbonates;

a conductive oxide layer used as an electrode, advantageously formed bymeans of a TCO (“Transparent Conductive Oxide”), for example, ITO (for“Indium Tin Oxide” or “tin-doped indium oxide”), GZO (“Gallium-dopedZinc Oxide”), AZO (containing aluminum), YZO (containing Yttrium), IZO(containing indium), or FTO (SnO₂:F);

an N layer, typically a semiconductor metal oxide, possibly doped, suchas zinc oxide (ZnO) possibly doped with aluminum (Al), with indium (In),or with gallium (Ga), or titanium dioxide (TiO₂) possibly doped withmanganese (Mn).

It should be noted that, according to the invention, the method offorming an optoelectronic device, in particular a photovoltaic layer ininverted configuration, may be entirely implemented by wet processes,only by means of simple deposition techniques, which are easilyimplemented in an industrial use. Thus, and as an example, the N layerand the active layer may be deposited by spin-coating while the HTL andthe upper electrode are deposited by inkjet printing.

Thus, the present invention provides a method for forming anoptoelectronic device, advantageously of a photovoltaic cell in invertedconfiguration (NIP), comprising the deposition on a layer having acomposition such as described hereabove, advantageously to form the HTLon the active layer. Preferably, the deposition is performed by inkjetprinting.

It should be noted that the addition of the compound (A) in theformulation intended to provide the HTL enables to achieve uniformhomogeneous depositions on the active layer, whereby it can be done awaywith any surface treatment.

Further, the HTL thus obtained is compatible with the printing of theupper electrode. Thus, and according to a specific aspect, said formingmethod comprises the subsequent deposition, advantageously by inkjetprinting, of the upper electrode, for example, made of silver, at thesurface of the HTL.

More generally, the present invention relates to the use of a compound(A) such as defined hereabove to increase the ability of a compositioncomprising PEDOT:PSS to wet a hydrophobic layer, in particular at thesurface of the active layer made of semiconductor material of anoptoelectronic device such as a photovoltaic cell of inverted structure(NIP). In other words, and in this context, the compound (A) ofsurface-active type is used as a wetting agent.

The advantages of the present invention will better appear from thefollowing embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of organic PV cells in a so-called inverted orNIP structure.

FIG. 2 illustrates the quality of ejection of the drops at a temperatureT=30° C. of a PEDOT:PSS formulation with no additive (A) and of acomposition according to the invention (B).

FIG. 3 illustrates the contact angle, on the active layer, of aPEDOT:PSS formulation with no additive (A) and of a compositionaccording to the invention (B).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Examples of Embodiment

The following non-limiting embodiments, in relation with theaccompanying drawings, aim at illustrating the invention.

1. Additive Selection:

The specific additive used in the context of the examples of embodimenthas the following chemical formula:

with 0<x/y<1.

It is a copolymer having both a hydrophilic character due to thesulfonic groups (SO₃H) and a hydrophobic character due to the etherchains. Such groups are positioned on thiophene groups, the chaining ofwhich enables to provide a good conductivity. It ispoly(3-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)]thiophene-2,5-diyl-co-3-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)]-4-sulfonic-thiophene-2,5-diyl).

2. Ink Formulation:

a. Commercial PEDOT:PSS Solutions

The effect of the additive has been tested with two PEDOT:PSSformulations commercialized by Heraeus:

CPP 105D

F010

The main physicochemical properties of these formulations are listed inTable 1 hereafter:

Dry matter Viscosity at Work function content (%) 700 s⁻¹ (cP) pH (eV)CPP105D ~1 30 2.8 4.8 F010 ~1 30-60 2.8 4.8b. Solvents

To optimize the ink properties (ejection, spreading, drying) and thefinal deposition thickness, the following solvents have been added tothe mixture of the additive in the dispersion containing PEDOT:PSS:

Propan-2-ol (IPA);

2-Butoxyethanol (or ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, EGMBE).

c. Compositions of the Formulations Used and of the Obtained Dry Films

The composition of the two developed formulations is given in Table 2hereafter, the quantities being given in proportion by volume.

PEDOT:PSS formulation Plexcore IPA EGMBE quantity (%) HTL quantityquantity quantity (%) Ink 1 16 1 50 33 Ink 2 25 5 55 15 Plexcore HTL:commercial solution comprising the additive; IPA (solvent) = isopropanolor propan-2-ol; EGMBE (solvent) = ethylene glycol monobutyl ether.

The inks are prepared from the commercial dispersion of PEDOT:PSS (CPP105D or F010), to which is added the commercial Plexcore HTL solutioncontaining the additive, as well as isopropanol, EGMBE, and possiblywater.

The quantity of added plexcore HTL is such that the quantity of additivein the final ink is in the range from 0.01% and 0.2% by weight.Preferably, it is at least 0.1% by weight.

Preparation of Ink 1:

To prepare 10 mL of ink 1, it is started by sampling 1.6 mL of thecommercial PEDOT:PSS formulation, to which is added 0.1 mL of thecommercial formulation of plexcore HTL containing the additive, and then5 mL of isopropanol, and finally 3.3 mL of EGMBE.

Preparation of Ink 2:

To prepare 10 mL of ink 2, it is started by sampling 2.5 mL of thecommercial PEDOT:PSS formulation, to which is added 0.5 mL of thecommercial formulation of plexcore HTL containing the additive, and then5.5 mL of isopropanol, and finally 1.5 mL of EGMBE.

The solutions thus prepared are then stirred at ambient temperature andatmosphere for one night before their use.

The quantity of additive in inks 1 and 2 is respectively 0.02% and 0.1%by weight.

The proportions of PEDOT:PSS and of additive within the dry films (afterink printing and drying) and thus such as present within the finaldevice, are also given in Table 3 hereafter, the values corresponding tomass proportions:

PEDOT:PSS (%) Additive (%) Dry film 87.5 12.5 Ink 1 Dry film 71.5 28.5Ink 23. Impact on the Droplet Ejection Capability:

The ink droplet ejection capability has been tested by means of amaterial printer of FujiFilm Dimatix DMP 2800 type, with a dropletejection at 30° C. and while applying a 30-V voltage.

Ink 1 has been tested and compared with the suspension containingPEDOT:PSS.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, adding the additive enables to improve thedroplet ejection capability, and particularly to increase the dropletejection stability.

4. Impact on the Contact Angle:

Above-described inks 1 and 2 (with an additive) as well as equivalentinks with no additive (corresponding to the dispersion containingPEDOT:PSS) have been tested.

The tests have been carried out on samples having a structure similar tothat of OPV devices, that is:

Substrate/Conductive Oxide/N Layer/Active Layer

The N layer is formed by thermal conversion of a derivative of zincacetate, previously deposited by spin-coating. Its final thickness isapproximately 20 nm. The active layer is made of a mixture ofpoly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and of ([6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-methyl butyrate)(PCBM). Its dry thickness is 200 nm and the P3HT:PCBM mass ratio is1:0.6. It is deposited by spin-coating from a solution inortho-dichlorobenzene under an inert atmosphere.

The contact angle measurements have been made in ambient conditions oftemperature (˜25° C.) and humidity (˜35%), in static mode, by means of aKrüss EasyDrop DSA20 device controlled by software Drop Shape AnalysisII.

Each value of Table 4 hereafter corresponds to the average of 9measurements.

Formulations Contact Angle (°) Ink 1 With Additive 30.5 +/− 1.6 WithoutAdditive 15.2 +/− 0.9 Ink 2 With Additive 40.5 +/− 3.0 Without Additive23.2 +/− 1.5

As appears from this table and from FIG. 3, the presence of the additivein the formulations enables to improve their ability to spread on theactive layer of the devices. A marked decrease of the in the presence ofthe additive can indeed by observed for the two formulations accordingto the invention.

5. Impact on the Conductivity of the Dry Film:

For these measurements, deposits having a thickness of approximately 100nm have been prepared by spin-coating on glass substrates. The sampleshave then been annealed on a hot plate for 10 minutes at 120° C. underan inert atmosphere.

As indicated in Table 5 hereafter, the presence of the additive by thetested proportions does not significantly modify the electricconductivity of the dry film:

Formulations Sheet resistance (Ω/sq.) Ink 1 With Additive 850 +/− 15Without Additive 857 +/− 14 Ink 2 With Additive 549 +/− 12 WithoutAdditive 541 +/− 176. Performance of the Devices According to the Invention:

The tests have been carried out on NIP-type devices, having thefollowing structure:

PET Substrate (1)/Conductive oxide (6)/N Layer (5)/Active Layer (4)/PLayer (3)/Silver upper electrode (2)

with: N Layer (5)=Zinc Oxide (ZnO);

-   -   Active Layer (4)=poly(3-hexylthiophene)/methyl        [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butyrate (P3HT/PCBM)

The first two layers (N layer and active layer) have been formed byspin-coating while the P layer (3) and the silver electrode (2) havebeen formed by inkjet printing. The active surface area of the deviceswas 1.8 cm² and their performance has been measured at 25° C. instandard lighting conditions (1,000 W/m², AM 1.5 G).

Table 6 hereafter discloses the performance of the devices according tothe tested formulations:

Formulation Efficiency Ink 1 1.20% Ink 2 2.10%

Inks 1 and 2 may be applied by inkjet while being compatible with aprinted electrode.

As appears from the foregoing, the present invention advocates theaddition of a well-identified electrically-conductive or semiconductoradditive, having the advantages of:

enabling to achieve uniform and homogeneous depositions of the HTL onthe active layer, without requiring any surface treatment,

having a satisfactory performance in OPV cells;

being compatible with a printed electrode.

More generally, the present invention provides a technical solution toformulate compositions containing PEDOT:PSS improving their ability towet hydrophobic surfaces. Thus, the present invention can be used forall devices where a layer containing PEDOT:PSS is to be deposited on ahydrophobic layer, in particular on the active layer made of hydrophobicmaterial of an optoelectronic device, such as OLEDs and PLEDs.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An optoelectronic device having a layercomprising: poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene); polystyrene sulfonate; anda compound (A) having formula:

 wherein 0<x/y<1, Ar1 and Ar2 represent aromatic rings, which may beidentical or different, and at least one Ar1 and Ar2 comprises at leastone hydrophobic substituent on its ring, and wherein the compound (A) ispresent in an amount of from 1% to 30% by dry weight of said layer. 2.The optoelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the compound (A) amountsto from 25% to 30% by dry weight of said layer.
 3. The optoelectronicdevice of claim 1, wherein said layer is arranged at a surface of anactive layer of the optoelectronic device.
 4. The optoelectronic deviceof claim 1, wherein the compound (A) is electrically conductive orelectrically semiconductive.
 5. The optoelectronic device of claim 1,wherein each aromatic ring (Ar1, Ar2) is selected from the groupconsisting of thiophene, bithiophene, terthiophene, thienothiophene,pyrrole, carbazole, diketopyrrolopyrrole, selenophene,cyclopentadithiophene, dithieno cyclopentadithiophene,Si-cyclopentadithiophene, dithieno Si-cyclopentadithiophene, fluorene,dithienofluorene, benzene, benzothiazole, benzothiadiazole,dithienobenzothiadiazole, quinoxaline, thiazole, and phosphole.
 6. Theoptoelectronic device of claim 5, wherein aromatic rings Ar1 and Ar2 arethiophenes.
 7. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, wherein thehydrophobic substituent is an ether chain (—O—R), where R may be alinear or branched chain, comprising carbon atoms.
 8. The optoelectronicdevice of claim 7, wherein the carbon atoms number from 1 to
 15. 9. Theoptoelectronic device of claim 7, wherein R comprises heteroatoms. 10.The optoelectronic device of claim 9, wherein the heteroatoms are O orN.
 11. The optoelectronic device of claim 9, wherein the heteroatomsnumber from 1 to
 10. 12. The optoelectronic device of claim 7, whereinat least one of Ar1 and Ar2 comprises a hydrophobic substituent havingthe following structure:


13. The optoelectronic device of claim 7, wherein Ar1 and Ar2 comprise ahydrophobic substituent having the following structure:


14. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the compound (A) hasthe following formula:


15. A photovoltaic cell in inverted configuration (NIP) having a layercomprising: poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene); polystyrene sulfonate; anda compound (A) having formula:

 wherein 0<x/y<1, Ar1 and Ar2 represent aromatic rings, which may beidentical or different, and Ar1 and/or Ar2 comprises at least onehydrophobic substituent on its ring, and wherein the compound (A) ispresent in an amount from 1% to 30% by dry weight of said layer.
 16. Thephotovoltaic cell in inverted configuration of claim 15, wherein saidlayer is arranged at a surface of an active layer of the optoelectronicdevice.
 17. The photovoltaic cell in inverted configuration of claim 15,wherein each aromatic ring (Ar1, Ar2) is selected from the groupconsisting of thiophene, bithiophene, terthiophene, thienothiophene,pyrrole, carbazole, diketopyrrolopyrrole, selenophene,cyclopentadithiophene, dithieno cyclopentadithiophene,Si-cyclopentadithiophene, dithieno Si-cyclopentadithiophene, fluorene,dithienofluorene, benzene, benzothiazole, benzothiadiazole,dithienobenzothiadiazole, quinoxaline, thiazole, and phosphole.
 18. Thephotovoltaic cell in inverted configuration of claim 15, wherein thecompound (A) has the following formula: